Fulbright 2017-2018

[lwatson1]

I am applying for an ETA in Poland. I'm nervous though because I will be getting married in a year - right before I would be going if I were to get accepted and I'm nervous about what my husband will be able to do while there such as finding a job for him etc. 

Very excited though because I am going to be a physics teacher and Poland is the only country which specifically is asking for science teachers!

[biggoalies]

@ROCOCO92Chinoiserie: Check out the Fulbright website specific to your country of origin (if you're Chinese, which you seem to be the case based on other posts, this link might help: http://beijing.usembassy-china.org.cn/for_chinese_citizens.html); you might find information more specific to your situation!

@Cat Time: Definitively apply for the Traditional Student Award!  It's one of the only awards/scholarships that Canadian PhD students can apply to (apart from SSHRC) if I'm not mistaken, and you can only apply to it before you set foot in the US for your studies given their residency requirement.

The award rate is around 10% for students, depending of course on how many people apply for any given years. In terms of what they are looking for, I can't give you a definitive answer. I would assume that the epicenter of the application is the two statements. In my application (I got the award a few weeks ago), I emphasized two points:
1) leadership, specifically in terms of what I hoped to do in the US (beyond studying and attending seminars) while I'm holding the award, and how it will benefit both countries;
2) how my research speaks to the cultural exchange value of the program, which was tricky in my case, given that my ethnographic research will eventually lead me to Senegal in years 3, 4, or 5.

Also, read carefully their application FAQs, as in many cases, it overrides the instructions on the Embark website.

Edited April 20, 2016 by biggoalies

[Cat Time]

3 hours ago, biggoalies said:

@ROCOCO92Chinoiserie: Check out the Fulbright website specific to your country of origin (if you're Chinese, which you seem to be the case based on other posts, this link might help: http://beijing.usembassy-china.org.cn/for_chinese_citizens.html); you might find information more specific to your situation!

@Cat Time: Definitively apply for the Traditional Student Award!  It's one of the only awards/scholarships that Canadian PhD students can apply to (apart from SSHRC) if I'm not mistaken, and you can only apply to it before you set foot in the US for your studies given their residency requirement.

The award rate is around 10% for students, depending of course on how many people apply for any given years. In terms of what they are looking for, I can't give you a definitive answer. I would assume that the epicenter of the application is the two statements. In my application (I got the award a few weeks ago), I emphasized two points:
1) leadership, specifically in terms of what I hoped to do in the US (beyond studying and attending seminars) while I'm holding the award, and how it will benefit both countries;
2) how my research speaks to the cultural exchange value of the program, which was tricky in my case, given that my ethnographic research will eventually lead me to Senegal in years 3, 4, or 5.

Also, read carefully their application FAQs, as in many cases, it overrides the instructions on the Embark website.

Thanks so much for the helpful info and congrats on the award!

[Horb]

Are there any candidates applying at large on this forum?

[GradLife26]

On March 31, 2016 at 11:49 PM, Asmith10 said:

Both Germany and India sound great!

Unfortunately I have no clue where you would find stipend information for a specific country. All I know is that the program says the stipend will be enough to live off of. I do believe that it varies from country to country.

For some countries, the stipend estimates for the upcoming year are listed on the country's Fulbright page. I look at each country on the US student page, and then clicked the link to the host country's Fulbright page - hope that helps!

[araliaceae]

On 4/24/2016 at 2:03 PM, Horb said:

Are there any candidates applying at large on this forum?

I'm still debating if I will or not. I finished my MA in 2015 and live near my alma mater, so I'm sure I could do it through them, but I wonder if I would be more competitive applying at-large? I'm still deciding between ETA and research. Oddly enough, my country of interest has a higher acceptance rate for research over ETA.

[Horb]

18 hours ago, araliaceae said:

I'm still debating if I will or not. I finished my MA in 2015 and live near my alma mater, so I'm sure I could do it through them, but I wonder if I would be more competitive applying at-large? I'm still deciding between ETA and research. Oddly enough, my country of interest has a higher acceptance rate for research over ETA.

I contacted Fulbright and found out I MUST apply through my university bc I am currently enrolled in a grad program. I do know however that there's not two categories when they decide so at large is not more or less competitive

[lyonessrampant]

Hello all, I'm an alternate for a research award to Italy this cycle.  I haven't heard anything yet, so I'm assuming it is a no-go.  I'll be applying again, I think, though I will defend next May, so I'm not sure if that will hurt my application.  I know I'm still eligible (you can't defend before the national deadline in October), but we'll see.  Good luck to all!

[MastersHoping]

Does anyone know whether Ph.D programs let you take a leave of absence to pursue things like a Fulbright?

[lyonessrampant]

Many Ph.D programs will let you take a leave of absence.  A couple friends of mine did from my university.  You'd have to speak to your department directly, but generally, especially for the research Fulbright or the Hayes, it gets you research funding that the department/university doesn't have to provide, so they tend to be supportive.

[Dostoprimechatel'nosti]

11 hours ago, MastersHoping said:

Does anyone know whether Ph.D programs let you take a leave of absence to pursue things like a Fulbright?

Usually Ph.D students pursue the Fulbright to complete dissertation research, so the Fulbright application is encouraged by most programs. I can't imagine why it wouldn't be celebrated by a Ph.D program.

[Bluefit]

On 5/20/2016 at 8:00 AM, lyonessrampant said:

Hello all, I'm an alternate for a research award to Italy this cycle.  I haven't heard anything yet, so I'm assuming it is a no-go.  I'll be applying again, I think, though I will defend next May, so I'm not sure if that will hurt my application.  I know I'm still eligible (you can't defend before the national deadline in October), but we'll see.  Good luck to all!

Good luck!!!! selected twice an an alternate, though to the Fulbright Scholar award, due to 5 years professional experience.  I am trying again, we'll see. fighting for 1 maybe two grants gets tough..

[lyonessrampant]

On 5/31/2016 at 2:03 PM, Bluefit said:

Good luck!!!! selected twice an an alternate, though to the Fulbright Scholar award, due to 5 years professional experience.  I am trying again, we'll see. fighting for 1 maybe two grants gets tough..

Good luck to you as well! 

[bineva17]

Good luck to all of you!

[Lwc23]

Hello everyone! It's been great reading through this chat so far - good luck to everyone who's planning to apply! I am applying to be an ETA in Malaysia. If anyone else is applying to Malaysia (or has been a Malaysia ETA in the past) I would love to hear from you! How is the application process going for everyone? I'm in the midst of the essays currently, though I'm struggling to pinpoint what I need to focus on in the Personal Statement.

[1Q84]

I'm wondering if anyone here knows: is there a Fulbright for Canadians currently studying in the US? I know that the Canadian Fulbright can be used to fund study in the US but I'm wondering if I can apply and use it to study outside of North America.

[Horb]

Hi all! I'm applying for a research grant to Germany to do archival research and had a few questions I'm hoping I may get advice on. I've contacted two professors so far to get an affiliation. The first responded kindly, but said he had just moved his research center to London (boo). The second I emailed late Friday afternoon (4pm US EST) and haven't heard back from yet (trying not to panic). I currently have a letter from the archive I intend to use stating I can use it and the resources available, but know that I need a university affiliation to really make this seem viable. If I intend to do archive work in Berlin, it is considered abnormal to have an adviser from an area outside of Berlin? I assume, if I'm only meeting them a few times a month (my work is very archive/manuscript based) it wouldn't be too difficult to travel 2 hours outside the city for a meeting and head back in. But would this come off as less feasible? I only ask because I'm not sure how many other people there are in my field of study in Berlin and well...I want to nail down the affiliation soon.

[losangeles18]

Hi everyone! I just came across this forum and so glad I did! I am currently thinking about applying to be an ETA in South Korea. If anyone else is applying there or was an ETA in South Korea, please let me know! Would love to chat about your experience and the application process. Good luck to everyone applying! 

[airlie]

Hello everyone! Just wanted to share the link to the applicant Facebook group again since y'all have started a new application thread!!

http://facebook.com/fulbrightapplicants

This thread is awesome, but Facebook allows for more mobility and easier connection among members!! Plus you have the advantage of a pool of current Fulbright grantees and alums to get support and advice from!

I personally am an ETA one week away from leaving for Korea for 2016-2017 and would love to help any fledgling Fulbright applicants revise essays and the like!

See you all in the Facebook group!

Much love! ?

Sarah

[maelia8]

Hi folks,

I was a Fulbright ETA to Germany in 2012-13 (during a gap year between my Bachelor's and starting my Ph.D.) and will be applying for a Fulbright Research grant in Germany this upcoming cycle in September for my projected research year  The process is quite similar except for the need for research affiliation (and a letter of support from your affiliate), so I'm happy to answer any questions folks have about the application process or Germany specifically.

[thepictureisstill]

Applying for Ireland's lone study/research grant this year.

[Horb]

1 hour ago, maelia8 said:

Hi folks,

I was a Fulbright ETA to Germany in 2012-13 (during a gap year between my Bachelor's and starting my Ph.D.) and will be applying for a Fulbright Research grant in Germany this upcoming cycle in September for my projected research year  The process is quite similar except for the need for research affiliation (and preferably a letter of support from your affiliate), so I'm happy to answer any questions folks have about the application process or Germany specifically.

The letter is a requirement, not a recommendation. In addition to this, the statement of grant purpose is quite different than the ETA.

[maelia8]

@Horb I was aware that the content of the statement of grant purpose is quite different (being as an ETA statement usually expresses more general interest in English teaching and reasons why one wants to go to that country in particular, while the Research statement talks specifically about why you are qualified to do this type of research and why it has to be in that country with that research affiliation), but I thought that the format (length, submission form, types of documentation needed besides the research affiliation letter) was quite similar to that of the ETA in Embark online, which is what I meant by "process." Is it actually different?

[Horb]

10 hours ago, maelia8 said:

@Horb I was aware that the content of the statement of grant purpose is quite different (being as an ETA statement usually expresses more general interest in English teaching and reasons why one wants to go to that country in particular, while the Research statement talks specifically about why you are qualified to do this type of research and why it has to be in that country with that research affiliation), but I thought that the format (length, submission form, types of documentation needed besides the research affiliation letter) was quite similar to that of the ETA in Embark online, which is what I meant by "process." Is it actually different?

It is! For a full grant it is two single spaced pages and very different content.

[CoolOwl]

Does anyone know (based on webinars, experience, etc.) what the selection committee is looking for with "community engagement" for US student research grants? I am have university affiliation, and would plan on matriculating into the student body + the ethnographic component of my research is sort of inherently community engagement. Maybe they want to know if I'll volunteer or teach in the community? I'm sort of at a loss... and it was recommended on the website to include this in the Statement of Grant Purpose so I'm definitely concerned! If anyone has any thoughts, I'd be so grateful for advice!